A portrait photographer to the stars “lost her temper” before shoving a pregnant Muslim woman to the floor and calling her a “terrorist” in a supermarket, a jury was told today.

Cinnamon Heathcote-Drury, 41, who has 11 portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, is also accused of describing the hijab-wearing woman’s family as “suicide bombers”.

She has denied the charge of racially aggravated assault during a trial at Isleworth crown court.

Heathcote-Drury, whose portraits include Boris Johnson and Jeremy Paxman, said she offered to help the woman, Mounia Hamoumi, and her husband unload their shopping trolley at Tesco in Kensington in November.

The court was told she had overheard the husband refusing to help his wife because he was looking after their children. She said: “I told him that is what feminism is all about, women helping women, and he told me to ‘get lost’.”

Heathcote-Drury, of West Kensington, made an assault complaint to police, claiming she was tripped, kicked and punched by Mrs Hamoumi.

But summing up the case today, prosecutor Nermine Abdel Sayed said: “She lost her temper and it is something that could happen to any human being, no matter how kind or lovely she may be.”